One of our favorite words of advice to our children is "Just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD do something." This applies to eBay listings' descriptions as much as it applies to children's ill-formed idea of jumping off a cliff into a calm lake.

Now, we are not advocating NOT using descriptions. Rather, our advice is to keep them simple, to-the-point, and as vanilla as possible.

Keep in mind that eBay already provides space for the following items (and buyers know where to look for this info), so you needn't include in your description:

Pictures

Return policy

Payment policy

In the same vein, there is no need to use a font other than the standard Arial. Bullet points are sufficient with additional narrative to reinforce the value of the product and perhaps a bit about you, the seller.

We know this is potentially controversial advice, especially given how much sellers have invested in descriptions before. Please let us know if you differ in opinion!

At CommerceESB, we have a long track record of helping sellers create effective listings. Please contact your account manager if you want some advice -- we are happy to help our customers continue growing their business!